The Settlers is a city-building and real-time strategy game series that has been around since 1993.

 The latest entry, The Settlers: New Allies, was released in February 2023 by Ubisoft Düsseldorf. 

It is a reboot of the franchise that aims to combine the best elements of the previous games with new features and stunning graphics.

 In this review, I will explore the gameplay, the factions, the graphics, and the pros and cons of The Settlers: New Allies.

---

The Settlers Gameplay :

The Settlers: 

New Allies is a strategy game with an in-depth build-up experience and real-time strategic battles. 

The game features a single-player campaign, a multiplayer mode, and a sandbox mode. 

The campaign consists of 12 missions that follow the story of three factions: the Elari, the Maru, and the Jorn. Each faction has a unique look, playstyle, and background story. 

The multiplayer mode allows up to four players to compete or cooperate online. 

The sandbox mode lets the player create their scenarios and maps with various settings and options.

The core gameplay of The Settlers:

 New Allies is based on a simulation of a supply and demand economic system. 

The player must manage the various chains of production, building up their military strength and the robustness of their economy. 

The player can also trade with other factions, research new technologies, and influence the happiness and loyalty of their settlers. 

The game also features a dynamic weather system, natural disasters, and environmental events that can affect the gameplay.

The game also introduces some new features, such as the ability to customize the appearance and skills of the settlers, the option to choose between different types of settlements (village, town, or city), and the possibility to form alliances or declare war with other factions. 

The game also offers a more interactive and immersive experience, as the player can zoom in and out of the map, rotate the camera, and observe the daily life of the settlers.

The Settlers Factions:

The Settlers: 

New Allies features three playable factions, each with their strengths and weaknesses. The factions are:

– The Elari: 

The Elari are a nomadic people who live in harmony with nature. They are skilled hunters, gatherers, and herbalists. 

They value freedom, wisdom, and spirituality. 

Their buildings are made of wood, leather, and stone. Their military units are fast, agile, and stealthy. 

They can use animals, such as wolves and bears, to aid them in combat. 

Their main resource is food, which they can obtain from various sources, such as hunting, fishing, and farming.

– The Maru: 

The Maru are a seafaring people who live on islands and coasts. 

They are expert sailors, traders, and explorers.

 They value wealth, adventure, and innovation. 

Their buildings are made of metal, wood, and cloth. 

Their military units are well-equipped, versatile, and adaptable. 

They can use ships, cannons, and explosives to dominate the seas and the lands. 

Their main resource is gold, which they can obtain from trade, mining, and looting.

– The Jorn: 

The Jorn are a mountainous people who live in the highlands and the snow. 

They are fierce warriors, miners, and smiths. They value honor, strength, and tradition. 

Their buildings are made of stone, iron, and fur. Their military units are heavy, powerful, and resilient. 

They can use siege weapons, such as catapults and battering rams, to breach the enemy’s defenses. 

Their main resource is iron, which they can obtain from mining, smelting, and forging.

The Settlers Graphics:

The Settlers: 

New Allies boasts impressive graphics that bring the game world to life. 

The game uses the Snowdrop engine, which is also used for other Ubisoft titles, such as The Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. 

The game features realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections, as well as detailed textures, models, and animations. 

The game also supports ray tracing, which enhances the visual quality and realism of the game.

The game also showcases a variety of environments, such as forests, deserts, swamps, and mountains. 

Each environment has its flora, fauna, and weather effects. 

The game also has a day and night cycle, which affects the gameplay and the atmosphere of the game. 

The game also has a lot of charm and personality, as the player can see the settlers perform various tasks and activities, such as working, eating, sleeping, and celebrating.

The Settlers Pros and Cons:

The Settlers: 

New Allies is a game that will appeal to fans of the genre and the series, as well as newcomers who are looking for a fun and engaging strategy game. 

The game has a lot of pros, such as:

– A rich and diverse gameplay that offers a lot of depth, challenge, and replay value

– A captivating and immersive game world that is full of life, detail, and beauty

– A charming and colorful art style that blends realism and fantasy

– A smooth and intuitive user interface that makes the game easy to control and navigate

– A catchy and atmospheric soundtrack that matches the mood and tone of the game

– A well-written and voiced story that introduces the factions and their characters

– A robust and stable online multiplayer mode that supports cross-play and cross-progression

However, the game also has some cons, such as:

– A high system requirement that may limit the accessibility and performance of the game for some players

– A steep learning curve that may overwhelm or frustrate some players, especially beginners

– A lack of mod support and map editor that may limit the creativity and longevity of the game for some players

– A few bugs and glitches that may affect the gameplay and the immersion of the game for some players

The Settlers Tips and Tricks:

In this section, I will share some tips and tricks that can help you improve your gameplay and strategy in The Settlers: New Allies. 

– Look for production sites that have resources in excess and free up some of them. 

You can store resources in warehouses that aren’t immediately needed. 

This will allow you to use the carriers more efficiently and avoid congestion on the roads. 

You can also sell or trade excess resources to other factions for gold or other goods.

– Stone roads come in handy. 

They increase the speed and capacity of the carriers, which means faster and smoother transportation of resources. 

They also improved the happiness and loyalty of the settlers, as they preferred to walk on paved roads rather than dirt paths. 

You can build stone roads by using the road tool and selecting the stone option.

– Construct residences in clusters to attract more carriers. 

Carriers are essential for your economy, as they move resources from one place to another.

 The more carriers you have, the more productive and flexible your economy will be.

 You can increase the number of carriers by building residences near your production sites, warehouses, and markets. 

This will also reduce the travel time and distance for the carriers.

– Let carriers do all the heavy lifting for you. 

Carriers are people whose main goal is transporting resources from point A to point B, usually from harvesting locations like mines and logging camps to warehouses for storage and finally to construction sites.

Especially at the start, resources like stone, coal, wood, and iron will come in handy to craft useful tools and weapons. 

While carriers also automatically go to work, depending on the available resources and needs of a building, you may want to supervise their every move instead.

– You may have to allocate some engineers manually. 

Engineers are the backbone of your economy, as they are the only ones who can build structures, extend the territorial boundaries of your faction by claiming land, prospect for plausible mining areas, and even steal resources to disrupt the enemy’s economy. 

So, if you’re running low on resources, perhaps stones to build a new structure, engineers can get them for you. 

Or if you’re considering building on the coast, engineers are the only ones who can secure a spot for you; hence, their crucial role in the game.

 The trick is to manage your engineers effectively, as they ultimately determine your success in a scenario. 

At the start, though, you start with a handful of engineers, whom you can choose to automate. 

It can work smoothly for a while, but as the plot thickens, you’ll need to carefully assess which buildings you want to give priority to, for example. Also, you don’t want a scene where you send all your engineers to the border to expand your territory while unfinished buildings remain.

 You’ll need to find the right balance between constructing, surveying, expanding, and stealing from the enemy through manually assigning roles to cultivate a successful economy.

The Settlers Comparison with Previous Games:

In this section, I will compare The Settlers: New Allies with the previous games in the series. 

I will highlight the similarities and differences, the strengths and weaknesses, and the improvements and drawbacks of the new game.

 I will also give my opinion on how the new game fits into the legacy and the evolution of the series. 

I will also mention some of the web search results that I found. 

I hope you will find this comparison interesting and informative.

– The Settlers: New Allies is a reboot of the franchise that aims to combine the best elements of the previous games with new features and stunning graphics.

 It is the first game in the series to be released on multiple platforms, such as PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Amazon Luna. It is also the first game to use the Snowdrop engine, which is also used for other Ubisoft titles, such as The Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

– The core gameplay of The Settlers: New Allies is based on a simulation of a supply and demand economic system, which is similar to the previous games. However, the game also introduces some new features, such as the ability to customize the appearance and skills of the settlers, the option to choose between different types of settlements (village, town, or city), and the possibility to form alliances or declare war with other factions. 

The game also offers a more interactive and immersive experience, as the player can zoom in and out of the map, rotate the camera, and observe the daily life of the settlers.

– The game features three playable factions, each with their strengths and weaknesses. The factions are the Elari, the Maru, and the Jorn. 

Each faction has a unique look, playstyle, and background story. This is a departure from the previous games, where the factions were mostly based on historical civilizations, such as Romans, Vikings, Egyptians, and Asians. The new factions add more diversity and personality to the game, as well as more strategic options and challenges.

– The Settlers: New Allies also features a dynamic weather system, natural disasters, and environmental events that can affect the gameplay. 

For example, rain can make the roads muddy and slow down the carriers, storms can damage the buildings and the ships, and earthquakes can destroy the mines and the bridges. 

The game also has a day and night cycle, which affects the gameplay and the atmosphere of the game. These elements add more realism and variety to the game, as well as more opportunities and risks for the player.

– The game has received mixed reviews from critics and fans, who praised the game’s graphics, atmosphere, and charm, but criticized the game’s simplicity, lack of depth, and technical issues. 

Some fans also felt that the game was too different from the previous games and that it lost some of the essence and identity of the series. Some fans also complained about the lack of mod support and map editor, which were present in some of the previous games.

The Settlers: Future Updates and DLCs:

In this section, I will talk about the future updates and DLCs that the developers have planned or announced for The Settlers: New Allies.

 I will mention some of the features, content, and fixes that the players can expect in the upcoming patches and expansions. 

– The developers have been working hard to improve the game and fix the bugs and glitches that have been reported by the players. 

They have released several updates since the launch of the game, which have addressed some of the issues and complaints that the players had. 

For example, the latest update, which was released on March 16, 2023, added a new map, a new production chain, and plenty of fixes and changes to impact every corner of the game.

– The developers have also announced that they are working on new DLCs that will add more content and features to the game. 

The first DLC, which is called The Blessings of the Elders, was released on April 14, 2023. 

The Settlers: New Allies added a new faction, the Elders, who are mysterious and ancient people who live in harmony with nature. The DLC also added a new campaign, a new map, a new production chain, and new units and buildings for the Elders.

– The developers have also teased that they are working on more DLCs that will be released in the future, which will introduce more factions, maps, campaigns, and gameplay elements to the game. 

They have not revealed many details about these DLCs, but they have hinted that they will be inspired by some of the previous games in the series, as well as some new ideas and concepts. 

They have also said that they are listening to the feedback and suggestions of the players and that they will try to implement them in future updates and DLCs.

– As a fan of the game and the series, I hope that the developers will continue to support and improve the game and that they will deliver more content and features that will enhance the gameplay and the experience of the game. 

I also hope that they will address some of the issues and criticisms that the game has received and that they will make the game more challenging, deep, and diverse. 

I also hope that they will add mod support and map editor, which will allow the players to create their scenarios and maps, and to share them with the community.

– If you are interested in the game and the future updates and DLCs, you can buy the game from the official Ubisoft store, the Epic Games Store, or your preferred retailer. 

You can also check out the official website, the Discord server, or the social media channels for more information and updates.

 You can also support the game and the developers by giving feedback, suggestions, and reviews.

 Thank you for reading this blog post, and I hope you have fun playing The Settlers: New Allies!

---

 Conclusion

The Settlers: New Allies is a game that delivers on its promise of being a reimagined and legendary strategy game. 

It is a game that combines the best of the old and the new, offering a satisfying and enjoyable experience for both veterans and newcomers. It is a game that deserves a place in the collection of any strategy fan. 

The Settlers: New Allies is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Amazon Luna. 

You can buy it from the official Ubisoft store, the Epic Games Store, or your preferred retailer. 

If you are interested in the game, you can also check out the official website, the Discord server, or the social media channels for more information and updates. 

Thank you for reading this review, and I hope you have fun playing The Settlers: New Allies!

---